Even with shortcomings, ‘The Green Hornet’ was a fun detour from usual gloom-and-doom

“The Green Hornet” sounds like it would be an epic remake of the 1960s television series. Yes, it was an epic remake, and yes, comic buffs may watch “The Green Hornet” and remember the old days fondly. But this movie is unlike any of the recent dramatic remakes of comic book wonders.

Directed by Michel Gondry and produced by Neal H. Mortiz, “The Green Hornet” centers around Britt Reid (Seth Rogen), a care-free party-goer, and Kato (Jay Chou), a mechanic and coffee-maker for Reid’s late father, James (Tom Wilkinson). Together, the two aimlessly drive around Los Angeles in a car affectionately dubbed “The Black Beauty,” pretending to be villains, but actually fighting bad guys in hopes of taking down an insecure crime boss named Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz).

Lacking the solemn tone of “The Dark Night,” “The Green Hornet” is a moody superhero movie that seems to be torn between being dramatic and being comedic. Seth Rogen’s character cannot be taken seriously—he is portrayed as the attention-seeking, flirtatious, irresponsible type—this makes it impossible for him to achieve the same sort of gravity that Christian Bale or Aaron Eckhart commanded in Nolan’s film. But “The Green Hornet” fares well straying from the histrionic archetype of hero tales.

What really sets the mood for this movie is Chudnofsky. Waltz plays him brilliantly as a seemingly harmless, obsolete crime boss with self-esteem issues. A villain whose personality is not particularly threatening doesn’t provide for many heart-wrenching, tense scenes. As an antagonist, Chudnofsky garnered laughter rather than fear, and while the whole premise of the movie is about fighting crime, conflict seems to be less prominent between hero and villain.

The storyline gravitates more towards Reid and Kato’s relationship, as if “The Green Hornet” was only an introduction to how hero and sidekick met. Rogen and Chou have great chemistry with each other; they gave “The Green Hornet” its off-the-wall atmosphere. Humor between the two of them is well-timed; some of their best moments are when Chou makes a sarcastic, vulgar quip. Even if it is somewhat tasteless of the writers to make Chou say most of the acceptable PG-13 swear words with his Chinese accent, it never failed to make the audience chuckle.

“The Green Hornet” lacks an intimidating villain and a hero preoccupied with preserving justice; it also is missing the key damsel in distress. Virtually the only female role in the movie is Reid’s sexy secretary, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz), but her purpose is to segue dirty jokes and create animosity between Reid and Kato.

So, if you were expecting a battle between good and evil, love and hate—“The Green Hornet” may not be what you were looking for, but its quirky characters and fast-paced plot should win you over.

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